After eating and drinking their fill, the two left the store side by side.
The air conditioning in the restaurant was very cold, but it's warmer now that I'm outside. Maybe the mall is too big and the air conditioning can't cover all areas.
Wen Mo yawned, feeling sleepy from eating. He picked up the clothes he had just bought and prepared to head home with Xia Lian.
"Yo!"
Someone greeted him, and then Wenmo felt a light pat on his shoulder.
Turning his head, he suddenly saw a girl beside him, smiling at him. The little hand that had patted him earlier was still on his shoulder.
The girl had playful eyes that curved into two crescent moons. Her hair was cut very short, about chin length, and paired with her delicate features, she had a tomboyish charm.
She then pulled her hand back behind her back, leaned forward a little, and her words and actions revealed a touch of liveliness.
"What are you doing here?" Wen Mo was stunned, not expecting to run into an acquaintance while shopping at the mall.
"I was just about to ask you that. I didn't expect someone like you, who's always staying home, to be out shopping at the mall." Xiang Xiaonan replied with a grin. "I saw you sitting in this restaurant when I passed by earlier."
"You've all seen me, aren't you going to come in and eat with us?" Wen Mo joked with a smile.
"No way! You two are eating. If I go in, I'll be eating for free and being a third wheel. It'll be too embarrassing..." She then stuck out her tongue and made a face.
Then, as if she had discovered something, Xiang Xiaonan swam up behind Wen Mo like a fish, looking at Xia Lian with curiosity.
"By the way, I don't think I've seen this little girl before."
Xia Lian felt inexplicably nervous when the other person mentioned her.
Upon learning that the other person was an acquaintance of Wen Mo, a hint of panic appeared on her pretty face. She quickly lowered her head and greeted them softly, "Hello, sister..."
"Hello, hello!" Xiang Xiaonan waved, her smile never faltering. Then, as if she felt she should do something, she bent down and rummaged through her bag. A few seconds later, she produced a few pieces of candy. "I didn't bring anything good with me, so take these candies and have them."
Before Xia Lian could speak, she forcefully stuffed the candy into the other person's hand.
Looking at the extra few pieces of candy in her hand, Xia Lian seemed a little lost and could only raise her head to ask her cousin for his opinion.
"Don't treat her like a child and give her candy. She'll be our junior soon." Wen Mo smiled helplessly, casually taking a piece of candy from her palm and popping it into his own mouth. "Take it and eat it. Don't be polite with her. That's just how she is."
He was chewing on a fruit candy when a sour lemon flavor immediately filled his mouth.
"This candy tastes good."
"I gave this little sister some food, and you shameless thing, you snatched it from her too, didn't you?"
"You seem to have taken my snacks quite a bit when we were in class..." Wen Mo complained, then pulled Xia Lian in front of him.
"Let me introduce you, this is Xia Lian."
As if remembering something else, he added, "My distant cousin."
"Oh—I see." Xiang Xiaonan stroked her chin, nodded thoughtfully, then patted his shoulder, pointed to herself, and said with a smile, "My turn! My turn! Introduce me to your little sister too!"
"Why don't you just say it yourself..."
Wen Mo rolled his eyes at her, pointed at her with his right thumb, and said, "Xiang Xiaonan, my classmate and friend, is very good at making friends easily."
"Why do you seem so reluctant to introduce us? We're clearly friends."
"Please pretend you don't know me when we're out, because you speak so loudly that everyone's staring at you, it's so embarrassing..."
"That was really hurtful!" Xiang Xiaonan pretended to be very hurt.
Xia Lian held onto Wen Mo's clothes and watched them chat naturally, but she couldn't join in the conversation at all.
A sense of loss gradually settled over her eyes.
This older sister is clearly a good person; she even gives me candy.
But for some reason, the lemon candy in my mouth only tasted sour.
"What are you doing here? Shouldn't you be at school having tutoring at this hour?" Wen Mo asked casually.
Upon hearing this, Xiang Xiaonan rushed to Wen Mo like a frightened bird, holding up a finger to her lips, her face full of tension.
"Shh...! Keep your voice down!"
"What's wrong? You skipped class, so what? Are you afraid of getting caught by the teacher while you're out?" Wen Mo immediately saw through her embarrassment, which stemmed from her sneaking out of class.
Their school wasn't very strict; school rules didn't matter, attending classes didn't matter, grades were the most important thing.
To exaggerate a bit, as long as you study well enough, even if you're just sitting there eating hot pot in class, the teacher will praise you for how delicious your hot pot is. As long as your grades are good, that's all that matters.
Moreover, the school would start tutoring classes early every summer vacation, especially for students with poor grades, who had to attend, while students with good grades could choose to attend or not.
"You think I can do whatever I want like you? I haven't had any freedom since the second half of summer vacation, it's so sad... Waaaaah..."
"It's not entirely your own fault; you can't blame anyone else."
At this moment, Xia Lian, who had been watching the whole thing from the sidelines, seemed to understand something. She gripped his clothes tightly and curiously raised her head, "Wen Mo, do you need tutoring...?"
Upon hearing this, Xiang Xiaonan looked at Wen Mo with a strange expression.
"Didn't you tell this little girl why you can lie at home and sleep so leisurely?"
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